Abstract

Rapid, easy and parallel partitioning for higher throughput in digital PCR

Johnson Ng, Founder And Chief Executive Officer, JN Medsys Pte Ltd

Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) is a powerful tool for detecting nucleic acids at very high sensitivity and precision, and is particularly useful for detection of rare mutations and copy number variations. It works by partitioning a typical PCR reaction into thousands of smaller sub-reactions such that each has at most a single copy of DNA. As a result, dPCR experiments usually require a long turnaround time, cumbersome workflow, and multiple dedicated instruments and consumables that can be very costly. These limitations make it less compelling for researchers to adopt dPCR despite its advantages. At JN Medsys, we have developed a digital PCR system that is fast, easy to use and affordable. Key to that was the proprietary tube strips which simplifies the cumbersome workflow typically associated with dPCR by making it quick and easy to load, partition, thermal cycle and detect the reactions. The unique chip-in-a-tube design combines the robustness of chip-based partitioning with the ease-of-use of a tube strip. Here we present the enabling technologies behind our dPCR tube strips, including the use of a high-density chip within a tube format, and how it allow us to shorten the preparation time and simplify the workflow for our dPCR system. We aim to make performing dPCR as easy as qPCR while achieving superior sensitivity and precision. This, we hope, would spur the widespread adoption of a very promising technology that would in turn improve the outcomes of life-threatening diseases such as cancer.